Email Security
How Secure is Email?
Emailing sensitive or personal information? Take a look at our Infographic: The Journey of an Email.
Email was never created with security in mind
Ray Tomlinson, in 1971, developed the channel to introduce an online, two-way conversation. It was new, exciting, and felt like a huge step into the future – but it’s fair to say, email security wasn’t his number one priority. In 2018, our motives for using this electronic form of communication have evolved somewhat.
No longer do we just use email to appreciate a conversation – especially when we’re in a world dominated by social media. Now, it’s the number one communication channel used by businesses, big and small across the globe and is often used to communicate time-critical, sensitive information.
But how secure is an every day unencrypted email?
What happens when you hit send?
Today, we send and receive email every minute without giving a single thought as to how the technology works or the security implications involved. We type a message, maybe choose a file to attach, select a recipient and then hit send. Seconds later we’re communicating with someone who could be half way around the world.
The GDPR has placed great emphasis on the control of personal data. If we use email as a medium to transfer this data, can we be entirely sure we are controlling and safeguarding it after we’ve pressed that ‘send’ button?
Take a look at our infographic to see what happens when you send an email and the associated risks that pop up along the way.
Is email the right channel for your communications?
Email is a fantastic mechanism to get your information across to your internal and external customers in a fast and easy way, as long as it doesn’t contain sensitive or personal data.
It relies on different third-party servers and information which are not directly under the senders control which is why you can never be 100% certain that information inside an email will not get intercepted along its path.
If you’re currently emailing external customer communications, explore our alternative: Aceni. Or if you’re emailing internal customer communications, explore Epay. These have all been built with security by design and show information to your recipients on secure online environments.
However, if you’re looking for a secure alternative for sending everyday adhoc attachments, such as spreadhseets or Word documents for example, why not consider SFTP to protect the value of your data?
Try not to compromise security and integrity with speed and ease and take the time to choose your channel wisely.
